COVID-19 curbs force grocery stores to use new platforms

They take care of supply chain and marketing, reduce working capital requirements and increase product range

The COVID-19 related restrictions, operative across Rajasthan till May 3, have forced the grocery stores to adopt new models for supplying essential items to the consumers, while the State government has launched a crackdown on hoarding, black-marketing and overpricing of food products. In addition to the night curfew in force, the markets are closed during the curbs. Facing the challenge of maintaining the supply chain, most of the grocery stores in Jaipur and elsewhere have got themselves registered with the platforms which render standardised services in the relaxation period of five hours everyday. The kirana, milk, vegetable and fruit shops are allowed to remain open from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. The “Retail as a Service” (RaaS) platform has enabled the grocery shop owners to standardise and digitise their operations and streamline the unorganised segments of their business. The aggregator model, introduced by Kirana King, takes care of supply chain and marketing, besides reducing the working capital requirements and increasing the product range.